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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26957455">and i feel that when i'm with you</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedbad/pseuds/wickedbad'>wickedbad</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Uncharted (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, First Kiss, Mutual Pining, post-The Lost Legacy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:08:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,415</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26957455</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedbad/pseuds/wickedbad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"But, they're partners, Nadine thought, and damn good ones at that, and partners don't leave each other to die when things get tough. If there was anything to be said about Nadine Ross, it was that she was determined and loyal to those who deserved it; and, she knew that if there was anyone out there worth risking her life for, it was Chloe."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chloe Frazer/Nadine Ross</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>109</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>and i feel that when i'm with you</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Content warning for blood, explosions, injuries, and guns (canon-typical)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I can’t think of another place I’d rather spend my Saturday, truly,” Chloe said, and she swiped at a loose strand of particularly bothersome cobweb that had fallen from the ceiling above. Her torch was held out before her, and she tried not to make out the silhouettes of spiders that zigzagged about in the flickering light she so graciously provided them. “Dirty tombs filled with skeletons, spiders, and—” She paused to sniff at the air, then, drawing out an exaggerated gag, “Is that… rotten wood I smell? Lovely.” </p><p>Ahead of her, a bit further down the tunnel, Nadine busied herself with moving a large piece of wooden structure that had begun to sink after five hundred years of rather shoddy support. The gap was large enough for the both of them to squeeze through, then, and so they went deeper into the tunnel they had been navigating for the last half hour. Once they had both made it through — and the ceiling managed not to collapse on them — Nadine spoke: “I thought ancient crypts were kinda your stomping grounds, y’know, the whole treasure hunter thing.” </p><p>Chloe tsked in response, “I prefer to think of myself as a <em> fortune </em>seeker; it sounds a bit classier, no? Well, not that we’ve had much fortune as of late, anyway. If I find myself crawling about in more ancient dirt before I’ve had a strong drink or three, it’ll be far too soon.” </p><p>Nadine scoffed, “Beggars can’t be choosers, no? You want an ancient artifact buried beneath the jungle, figures you’ll find yourself in a place like this.” </p><p>“Oh, darling, you don’t have to tell me,” Chloe laughed, “Let’s not forget who invited who to this little escapade… But, I am just wondering, when they built these things were they so afraid of adding a <em> bit </em>of breathing room? I mean, I’m not one for claustrophobia but—” </p><p>“Frazer, look ahead. You reckon that’s it?” Nadine held her torch out before her, then, shining its dim, flickering light toward the end of the tunnel where it appeared to open up into a much wider area; there was a bit of light that poured into the space, and Chloe felt her stomach twist with excitement. It was one of those moments that all fortune seekers longed for: to see the<em> literal </em>light at the end of a long, disgustingly old — and, probably extremely dangerous — tunnel. </p><p>Chloe ducked under Nadine’s arm, which was busy propping up a heavy piece of rotted wooden structure; and, in truth, Chloe had muttered a silent prayer in hopes that she still had a bit of fortune left in her and that the entire tunnel wouldn’t come crumbling down around there. Then, she peered down the narrow corridor, between the intricate lacings of cobwebs, and squinted in the direction of the light, her heart drumming within her. “Reckon I’ll go have a look. You stay here, yeah?”</p><p>“Ja, cute,” Nadine scoffed, lowering the plank above her after she had followed Chloe through the gap, “As if I’m going to stand here and play guard while you investigate; you know me better than that.” </p><p>“Maybe I do,” Chloe shrugged and her heart fluttered with anticipation; even after all this time, it was still just as exciting as the first. There was something about the chase of a grandiose adventure that she loved, even in the face of danger — or, perhaps, it was the danger that made it all the more exciting, and she was no stranger to such risks. Then, she gestured with her free hand toward the area before them, “Well, don’t just stand there, then; lead the way since you’re so eager.” </p><p>Nadine held out her torch before her, a steady eye on the ground for traps — ever tactical, she was — as there was no telling what may have been left behind by those who wished to keep their ancient secrets heavily guarded. “I was beginning to think this tunnel wouldn’t end.” </p><p>“I couldn’t have walked another step, truly.” </p><p>Nadine laughed, “I would’ve gone on without you, then — grabbed the artifact for myself and made off with it,” and, she didn’t need to see Chloe’s face behind her to know that she had rolled her eyes in response. </p><p>At the end of the tunnel, they dropped down into the wide area, where a beam of light shone down from a slight opening in the ceiling. And, they were quite grateful that it was, indeed, the end of the crypt and not a snake pit or anything of the sort. Though, it was not quite what they expected, for as they walked the length of the room combating cobwebs and dust particles as they went, they came to realize that there was absolutely nothing to be found — no jewels, gold, or more importantly the artifact that they had journeyed through the depths of the jungle to find. There was something terribly off about the emptiness, that the maps and research they had done had led them to nothing but a barren crypt. </p><p>“The place has been looted,” Nadine said after a moment, thinking aloud and frustrated with the possibility that someone — anytime between yesterday and the last five hundred years — had beat them to the treasure. It was like the final blow to their recent dry spell, a laugh in the face that suggested, perhaps, they weren’t so cut out for treasure hunting these days. </p><p>“No, not looted…” Chloe walked about the room, scouring the empty columns and pedestals that had done nothing but collect dust for the last hundreds of years that they sat untouched. It seemed that nothing was truly out of place, no stones knocked over or broken, as if the items inside had been carefully extracted some time ago. “They’ve been moved… by the people who put them here, no less.” </p><p>Nadine kneeled on the ground, then, resting against the cool earth as she thought about the likelihood of such a thing; and, she wasn’t one to argue with Chloe when it came to figuring out the mysteries of missing treasures. “There was no sign of forced entry; and, though the place is as decrepit as they come, it looks fairly put together — not torn apart or ransacked. Reckon we’re the first people to be in here in hundreds of years.” </p><p>“They must have come back for it,” Chloe began pacing about the room, then, and Nadine couldn’t help but feel the corners of her mouth tug upward; she loved seeing Chloe so lost in thought, working her mind around the countless possibilities of the past. It was quite endearing, she thought, and perhaps it was one of the things that kept pulling her back toward the treasure hunting business — that she could work with someone so devoted to their craft. Then, Chloe’s rambling caught her attention once more, pulling her out of her thoughts, “But, why? Why would they come back for it when they’d already taken the time to dig out this<em> massively long </em>and rather annoying tunnel system? I mean, this was an important man’s tomb, after all.” </p><p>“What was it you said happened to these people? They’d been hit with a bad plague, ja?” </p><p>“Yeah, tons of them died — it nearly wiped out their entire civilization. But, those who survived, they relocated…” Chloe paused for a moment, then, the gears rapidly turning in her brain as she scanned through her mental catalogue of past research she had done. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner… Reckon they came and took it, those who hadn’t died from the plague. They took it wherever they moved to, probably reburied it, because they weren’t going to leave riches and priceless artifacts behind.” </p><p>“Just walking about the wrong dead guy’s tomb,” Chloe slapped her hands against the front of her thighs, “Hate it when that happens.” </p><p>Nadine chuckled, and when she had regained her composure she made her way back toward the entrance of the opening, signaling that she was ready to give Chloe a boost back up. “Reckon we should head back, take another look at our notes. There has to be something there that tells us where these people might have moved to.” </p><p>“Back to square one, then,” Chloe said as she accepted the lift, then reached down to pull Nadine up into the tunnel with her. She brushed the dust from her knees and sighed, “I was so hoping that the next time I saw this tunnel I’d be carrying a fistful of riches out of here. Now, I’m just in this spider-infested tomb for no reason… Rather fun, no?” </p><p>“You did say you couldn’t think of a better way to spend your Saturday,” Nadine grinned, the smile crinkling in her eyes, and she bumped shoulders with Chloe.</p><p>“Aren’t you quite the comedian?” Chloe rolled her eyes as she let Nadine take the lead to hold up wooden planks that they passed under. “I think we have a bit of a lead, yeah? Those guys we ran into probably haven’t a clue about any of this.” </p><p>Nadine scrunched her nose, “Don’t remind me, I’d just forgotten about them.” </p><p>“Amateurs really shouldn’t be sticking their noses in places they don’t belong,” She eyed Nadine out of her peripheral, then, accompanied by a growing smirk. “Uh, well, not you, love. You’re an exceptional amateur.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Nadine scoffed, rolling her eyes, “They didn’t quite strike me as amateurs, though… Their weapons, they were high-grade stuff. I don’t want to be on their bad side If I can help it.” </p><p>Chloe shrugged her shoulders, “I’ve been on plenty of bad sides, what’s the harm in adding one more?”</p><p>With that, they continued on through the darkness of the tunnel, the light from their torches slowly dying as they went further — though, Chloe didn’t quite mind as the spiders were much harder to see in the dark; ignorance is bliss, she thought. And, more than once, she marveled at the fact the tomb was still functional after hundreds of years since it had been built; beyond that, it must have been a miracle that the old thing hadn’t collapsed on them yet. But, she was rather frustrated with herself that she had missed such an obvious clue; it would have saved them so much time if she had just paid attention to what was in front of her. It was a rookie mistake, she knew, and suddenly she felt twenty again screwing up when she shouldn’t have. Though, that was the name of the game, anyway; fortune-seeking was definitely not a career geared toward the impatient — or, those opposed to the notion of failing upward. It had taken her quite some time to get comfortable with the regular disappointments that she faced, and she’d grown rather accustomed to it throughout the years. </p><p>The one thing that she had learned that was perhaps the most important of all was that a good, trustworthy partner (which were few and far between in her line of work) could make all the difference; and, she was fairly certain she had found just that in Nadine. They made quite a team, the two of them, and she would be lying if she said Nadine wasn’t easy on the eyes, too. There was something about her that made Chloe’s stomach flip when they got too close, their hands brushing against one another, or when Nadine held onto the small of her back when she walked past. A few years ago, Chloe would’ve mustered all her youthful confidence, and she wouldn’t have been so timid with her flirting; she was turning soft, she thought, definitely outgrowing the shell of the girl she was before. Though, perhaps, it was a good thing; maybe Nadine brought out the best in her, and she liked that. </p><p>After walking for what was either half an hour or an entire day, it seemed, they came upon the light at the end of the tunnel. Upon the sight of it, Chloe sighed in relief, “I’ve never been so thrilled to see a humid, mosquito-infested jungle.” </p><p>“Ja, me too,” Nadine laughed as she was welcomed by the sticky, humid air that clung to her skin, “Dinner is on me tonight, my treat.” </p><p>“Well, I’m not one to say no to something like that. Especially after a day like this; my legs are so sore—” </p><p>Then, before either of them could register what had happened, there was an explosion that sent them both crashing backward. Chloe’s back smacked against the large roots of a nearby tree, and the ache coursed through her like a flare. She was surrounded by a thick cloud of smoke, and there was a ring in her ears that paired<em> wonderfully </em> with the pounding in her head. She blinked a few times, then, which was followed by the slow realization that she had just survived an explosion. When the smoke cleared, she stumbled to her feet, toppling over a few times before she managed to fight her way through the cloud, coughing while the smoke burned in her nose. Of course, a job could never be simple, she thought. </p><p>Her lungs were tight and burning, and her throat felt as if it was constricting upon itself. Though the attackers were nowhere to be found, she knew it was the work of the<em> amateurs </em>they had been squabbling with for the last week. But, worst of all, when her vision stilled and the world around her was not so dizzy, she realized that Nadine was missing. </p><p>“Nadine,” She croaked out, and her throat felt as if it had been coated with a thick layer of sandpaper. It was then that the panic set in, that perhaps Nadine had been injured — or worse — during the explosion; and, even if she had called back in response, Chloe wouldn’t have been able to hear her through the ringing in her ears. Then, she yelped when she took a step that was a bit too harsh on her sore ankle, which was then followed by a sudden pressure that knocked her to her knees; the wind was drawn swift from her lungs with a burning fervor, and the world around her turned dark as something was pulled over her head. </p><p>Two large arms pulled her from the ground, then, followed by the sensation of the barrel of a gun pressed into the middle of her back. Surprisingly (or, perhaps not so), it had not been the first time she was caught in a similar situation — nor was it the second, or the third time, either. Around her, there were harsh voices shouting while she was dragged away, and she fought against the arms that held her until her aching body could no longer withstand the force. Eventually, the arms that guided her shoved her into the backseat of a car, and she tried to keep a mental note of how many turns the vehicle took before it stopped; but, she got lost somewhere along the way when it seemed that they were driving about in circles through the jungle. </p><p>After a while that passed with harsh laughs and cigarette smoke, the car jolted to a stop, and she heard the rustling of footsteps that shuffled around her. Then, similar hands from before pulled her from the vehicle with such force that she landed on her knees against the tough earth. The world was swarmed with bright light, then, which stung her eyes while she adjusted to her new surroundings: a humble encampment, built somewhere in the thick of the jungle, filled with tents and armed men that circled about the perimeter. Then, she was pulled from the ground before she could catch her breath, and she was guided toward a tent with two guards standing before it, who frowned at her while she passed. </p><p>Once inside, the men walked her to the center, where they tied her hands behind her back, then looped the rope around a metal post that was dug deep into the ground. No luck getting out of that one, she knew, as there were only so many tricks one could learn for these situations. </p><p>Then, one of the men stepped forward, donning a particularly nasty scar across his cheek, and he pressed the tip of his boot against her fingers, “Where’s your friend,” He asked, though it didn’t make for much of a question, not when he stood with his fingers curled around the assault rifle strapped to his armored vest. </p><p>“Well, I don’t know there was an explosion, if you heard… kinda lost track of things, then,” She whipped her head about, looking between the men that stood before her with a bemused look, “I mean, <em> really</em>, an explosion? What happened to using our words?”</p><p>The scarred man laughed, though it was quite void of all humor, and he sunk to his knees before her, the barrel of his gun tapping against her forehead, “Y’know, she may not be so lucky when we find her. Only need one of you, I think.” </p><p>A flicker of anger coursed through her, then, that there was nothing she could do to protect Nadine. She tried to mask the feeling — she always did have an impeccable poker face — and hoped that Nadine had the common sense to find their Jeep and head back to the main town for backup. Though, she wasn’t sure who exactly she was trying to kid because it wasn’t like they<em> had </em>any backup options to come rescue them from militants marauders in the middle of the jungle. Just her luck, she thought, she had truly picked the wrong career to excel in. </p><p>“Y’know, I’m not quite sure what any of this is about, anyway,” Chloe tugged on her the rope behind her, disgruntled as she fell back against the post, which was digging rather uncomfortably into her back. </p><p>The man grinned and tossed one of her research journals toward her that had surely fallen from her pocket during the explosion; it landed beside her in the dirt with a pathetic thud, and she eyed it as she tried to decide if it was worth the anger that would ensue should she pretend she had never seen the notebook before. But, the man spoke then: “Maybe this will freshen your memory.” </p><p>“Ah, yes, <em> that</em>. Well, you should’ve just asked—”</p><p>The man crushed his boot down against her fingers, and if he had applied only a <em> bit </em>more pressure, it would have been a more unpleasant evening. “I don’t really find you clever… You’ll talk, though, trust me, they always talk.” </p><p>With that, he turned and took his fellow guards with him, exiting through the open entrance of the tent that poured back out into the camp, and he disappeared somewhere in the distance. </p><p>“Fuck,” Chloe muttered to herself, trying to wriggle her hands free from the ropes, but it came to no avail. Then, she rested her head against the metal pole behind her, her heart crashing against the inside of her chest as she tried to rationalize some sort of escape plan. “Dammit Nadine, I hope you’re alive.” </p><p>***</p><p>The explosion had hit Nadine like a ton of bricks, sending her tumbling backward through the jungle and, eventually, rolling down a reasonably sized hill. On the way down, she crashed into various roots and rocks, scraping her as she went. Finally, she landed against the jungle floor, laying flat on her back, feeling as if the wind had been completely knocked out of her. The smoke from the explosion had filled her lungs, festering there like a hundred tiny razor blades inside of her. Then, when the world around her settled, she felt a sharp pain radiating from her abdomen, and the leaves beneath her had turned damp with blood. </p><p>It could’ve been worse of a cut, as it was not too deep, and she had certainly survived much worse. Besides the open wound on her side, the damage from surviving an explosion was relatively mild — she was fairly certain she hadn’t hit her head or broken any bones. But, the worst part of it had been that she hadn’t seen it coming, that she hadn’t been prepared for the possibility that rival treasure hunters with high-grade military weapons were going to be waiting for them on the other side of the tomb. </p><p>“Really fucked that one up, Nadine,” She muttered to herself and groaned in pain as the ache in her side pulsated, the blood seeping through her tank-top. When she finally managed to scramble to her feet, there were footsteps approaching from the north, above the hill that she had fallen from. Without thinking, she ducked behind the nearest tree, holding her breath while flashlight beams shone down toward her. After a few minutes had passed, she darted out from behind the tree, camouflaging herself in the jungle in the best way that she could by staining her white shirt brown with dirt and mud. And, it was then that it dawned on her that she was completely alone. </p><p>“Chloe,” She sighed, her chest pulled taut with the thought of Chloe’s fate. She was either dead, struck by the explosion, or captured by their ambushers, she knew. But, they’re partners, she thought, and damn good ones at that, and partners don’t leave each other to die when things get tough. If there was anything to be said about Nadine Ross, it was that she was determined and loyal to those who deserved it; and, she knew that if there was anyone out there worth risking her life for, it was Chloe. </p><p>She patted the side of her trousers, where her pistol was usually tucked safely within its holster, but she came up empty. At least, she had been trained for this exact sort of thing: surviving in the shittiest of situations, in the middle of nowhere, even. So, she crept back up the hillside, staying low to the ground, and took notice of fresh trails from a vehicle that had taken off in the opposite direction. It was as good a sign as any that Chloe had survived, though the downside to that survival was that she was being held captive somewhere in the jungle. </p><p>Nadine followed the tire tracks as far as they went, until she could just barely make out the perimeter of a small campsite in the middle of the jungle, where the trees separated to form a clearing. Surrounding it, she could count as many as twelve armed men, each paired with heavy assault rifles while they kept watchful eyes between the trees. In the distance, then, there was a roar of thunder, and perhaps they did still have a bit of fortune left, she thought, as a loud enough crash of thunder would provide the best distraction for an escape plan. The issue, however, was that Chloe was nowhere to be seen; and, she had most likely been taken into one of the six tents that filled the campsite. The only thing that Nadine could do, then, was wait and hope that she could manage to get both of them out alive. </p><p>When the sky had turned dark and the rain had started to drizzle, most of the men were sat around preparing their dinner. After a couple of hours of watching, Nadine had noticed one tent where the men came in-and-out of the most often, and it was the only place in the camp that they could have been holding Chloe. Based on her observation, she had about a fifteen-minute window before the men made their next visit to the tent, because they seemed to be growing more impatient as the evening went on. So, when she had snuck her way through the jungle toward the opposite side where the tent was, she was grateful to discover that her knife had stayed tucked into her boot, and she cut an opening at the base of the tent that was wide enough for them to crawl through. A large crash of thunder roared through the sky, then, in perfect time with the ripping of the tent’s polyester. </p><p>Once inside, a wave of relief washed over her that she had, indeed, been right for Chloe was sitting in the middle of the tent, her hands tied behind her back around a metal pole. And, Nadine was also glad that she was still alive, that they had a chance to escape this mess and continue on being partners — which was the thing she loved most of all these days. </p><p>“Chloe,” She whispered, her voice masked by the harsh pitter-patter of the rain beating against the tent above; she watched as Chloe tilted her head as far to the side as she could, a devilish smirk stretched across her face. </p><p>“Took you long enough,” Chloe grinned, though she kept it to herself that she was a bit flattered that Nadine took the risk to come back for her. “Nice of you to stop by.” </p><p>Nadine crawled over to her, cutting away at the rope that she started to rub Chloe’s wrists raw, “Did they hurt you?”</p><p>“I’ve been through worse,” She said, wincing at the friction burn from the ropes, “Reckon they wanted to keep me alive because they weren’t bright enough to find all this out for themselves.” </p><p>After a minute of cutting, the ropes fell against the dirt and Chloe rubbed her sore wrist, sighing in relief that she was free. Then, Nadine gestured toward the opening in the tent, and they scrambled toward it while Nadine said: “Keep low and crawl straight into the jungle, we have about ten minutes I’d reckon.” </p><p>With a nod of the head, Chloe did as told, crawling on her hands and knees and keeping as low to the ground as she could until she was enveloped in the protection of the trees. Behind her, she watched as Nadine followed suit, covered in a terrible mixture of blood and mud. </p><p>“You look terrible,” Chloe said, then looked down at her own clothes, “Though, I’m not one to talk.” </p><p>“Keep going, it won’t be long before they notice. We need to make it back to the Jeep.” </p><p>With that, they rose to their feet and settled on a jogging pace through the jungle, careful not to slip in the mud or crash into any trees. Chloe was quite grateful, then, that Nadine had the survivalist mind that she did, because she had lost her bearings when the men put the sack over her head, and surely she would’ve been wandering about the jungle in circles if not for Nadine. Finally, Chloe could make out the white paint of their Jeep in the distance, and she had yet to hear gunshots or vehicles chasing behind them, which seemed like a pretty good sign that they were in the clear. </p><p>“Good timing with that storm, yeah?” She said as they got closer to the car, smiling to herself because there was just something so beautiful about the way Nadine looked in the evening light, so determined to save both of their lives. </p><p>“Ja,” Nadine replied, wiping the mud from her face when they reached the Jeep; she reached into the glove box to retrieve the map of the area, studying it for a brief moment and trying her best to make out anything through the rain. </p><p>It occurred to Chloe, then, that they had almost died, the realization coming to her that the bond that they had fostered throughout the last months could have quickly come to an end. And, despite the odds, Nadine had come to rescue her; and, the thought that Nadine cared for her enough to risk her own life made her stomach do a little flip. She knew she had it bad for Nadine, it was hard not to, and she wished that she could just throw herself into her arms to thank her for everything she had done. </p><p>“Thanks for coming back for me,” Chloe said, settling with that short thank you, and she leaned in on the balls of her feet, the rain causing her hair to stick to her skin. </p><p>Nadine glanced up from the map, their eyes meeting in the pale light, “Of course. Why wouldn’t I, we’re partners, no?”</p><p>“Oh, I don’t know… It’s not often you find someone like you in this line of work,” She chuckled, a hint of nervousness lacing her tone, though her body was still coursing with adrenaline, and she couldn’t help but think of kissing Nadine right there and then.</p><p>“Like me how?” Nadine asked, an eyebrow raised with a slight smirk on her face that Chloe could just barely make out through the heavy rain that separated them. </p><p>“I think you know.” </p><p>“Tell me,” Nadine said, and it was such an enticing offer that Chloe stepped forward, reaching out to grab the sides of Nadine’s face. And, after a moment of hesitation to see if Nadine would pull back, Chloe closed the gap between them, kissing Nadine as if it was the last thing that she was ever going to do. And, perhaps if it had been, it wouldn't have been such a terrible way to go. </p><p>She had kissed a lot of people during her time — it was kinda a part of her charm, she knew — but kissing Nadine was nothing of the sort. It was like everything she had always expected a kiss to be, but different, too, in a way that she almost couldn’t place; like, perhaps, it had been meant to be this way — as if they had always been a bit more than partners, but were both too proud to do anything about it, and now the walls had come crashing down, and it was quite a beautiful thing. </p><p>“You’re not like anyone else,” Chloe whispered as they pulled apart, wet from the rain, and still covered in dirt and scratches. If there hadn’t been armed militants roaming about somewhere, she was certain that she would stay in that moment forever, captivated by how Nadine felt beside her. “I like that.” </p><p>Nadine smiled, a bit shocked by the entire thing, but not so surprised. She had been waiting for the right moment, where she would push past that pride of hers and just be honest with how she felt. Because, to her, being with Chloe was unlike anything else, and she wanted to feel it again, and again, and again. “We should get out of here.” </p><p>Chloe raised an eyebrow, “<em> Oh</em>?” </p><p>Nadine playfully shoved at her, then, though her grin gave her away. “Really?”</p><p>“Really,” Chloe said, her smirk ever-growing as she hopped into the driver’s seat of the Jeep. And, she was certain that they still had time to make it back to town for dinner, which she had not forgotten that Nadine had so generously offered to pay for earlier. </p><p>Nadine watched as Chloe felt around for the keys, then dangled them out before her, “You didn’t think that kiss was going to convince me to let you drive, did you? You’re still riding shotgun.” </p><p>Chloe feigned hurt, but hopped over into the passenger seat, and watched while Nadine drove with one arm stretched out to the steering wheel. And, she was certain that all the years of not trusting other people, keeping friends and lovers at a distance, had been worth it so that she could spend her days with Nadine. </p><p>“You knew that I’d come back for you, right?” Nadine asked as they drove through the jungle, quickly coming up on the main path that led them back to town, “I wasn’t going to leave you out there… I wasn’t even sure if you were alive, and—” </p><p>“Don’t get sentimental now, love, we’ve had a day. Besides, we’re partners. We look out for each other, rescue one another when tied up and held hostage by militants; it’s what we do.” </p><p>“Let’s not make it a habit.”</p><p>“You don’t fancy me as a damsel in distress?” Chloe asked, then smiled as Nadine laughed, shaking her head while she drove through the night. “Yeah, reckon I’d like to play the hero sometime.” </p><p>Nadine glanced over at her, then, “You already are.” </p><p>“Yeah, I suppose I am,” Chloe replied, and her heart swelled when Nadine reached out to hold her free hand within her own, and she knew that, perhaps, she did have a bit of fortune left to her after all. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hi!! thank you for reading and i hope that you enjoyed! this is the first time that i've written for chlodine and it's been a while since i played the lost legacy so i hope i got their characterization done decently. anyway i love these two so very much :')</p></blockquote></div></div>
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